While it may seem that the AI is doing the heavy lifting in MEP design work, it’s also allowing the human engineer more time to add to the value that architects and owners can receive from their MEP partner. An AI-based MEP design program can vet thousands of options and associated data, which a human engineer cannot. However, this simply frees the MEP engineer to focus on other value-added goals that matter to the architect and owner. We believe that MEP design will always require a human touch. An experienced engineer armed with AI technology can provide much more value than either one alone.
As Accenture Research experts James Wilson and Paul Daugherty wrote in Harvard Business Review, “Through such collaborative intelligence, humans and AI actively enhance each other’s complementary strengths: the leadership, teamwork, creativity, and social skills of the former, and the speed, scalability, and quantitative capabilities of the latter.”
Sure, AI-powered MEP design software can “see” the multitude of details and parameters the engineers input regarding your project and MEP system. Still, that doesn’t mean a machine can be programmed to understand what’s truly important to the end user of the space. It takes an experienced engineer to understand which parameters are the ones that matter in terms of meeting aesthetic, design and functional goals.
One big reason for this: The engineer is working with more than the data on the page, so to speak. While the computer program can identify the most efficient design, it may not be able to prioritize the design objectives that ensures a certain level of finish or functional layout. The engineer, on the other hand, is privy to the information carried in the inflection in the client’s voice as they get carried away talking about a certain aesthetic detail, or the eye roll that indicates the element being considered isn’t as much of a priority as adequate air distribution, for example.
Of course, that’s perhaps the biggest benefit to working with an MEP design team that uses AI-powered technology. In trusting the software to crunch the data, the engineer can better prioritize that critical relationship-building that reveals what’s really important to the client on any project.
The beauty of AI-powered MEP design work is that the software can run essentially every possible option for MEP routing, sizing and other criteria to determine the option that best balances engineering needs and costs. And it can run through that tedious process exponentially faster than any human engineer possibly could.
The challenge, of course, is that too many options can be a bit overwhelming when you want to sort through just a few possible variations. The best option as selected by an AI program may hit all of the client’s engineering priorities but, without human input, may miss the bigger picture. Sometimes an architect has a feel for what they’re searching for but may need to see a few options—just not all the options. The right MEP design partner can help sift through the highlights. What’s more, with the right partner, architects can better trust that they’ll select the best quality option for meeting all parameters, even the ones that are tough to define.
We’ll admit that AI may have a place in creating art, but when it comes to capturing the aesthetic goals of an architecture project, it’s just not there yet. The good news is, by removing the drudgery of routing and sizing systems, AI-powered design tools allow engineers more time to get details right around building aesthetics and function for a more pleasurable experience in a given space.
Part of the challenge here is that design can be very individual. Two different architects may take very different approaches to the same type of space. It’s up to the MEP designer to understand the priorities and apply those differences to the final MEP design work. You can program some of these aesthetic priorities into the AI software, but these tools are simply not capable of recognizing the aesthetic details that make a project come alive.
By utilizing machines to do what they do best, human engineers can do what they do best: Create a more elegant and attractive design.
The right AI-powered MEP design software can identify conflicts and project parameters as the same input as entered time and again, increasing the efficiency of both design and construction. In many cases, the data coming out will have similarities across multiple projects. With this familiarity comes the potential to simplify the construction process.
As MEP installation contractors start seeing fewer conflicts in the designs, there’s a high level of predictability that comes to the bidding, permitting and construction processes. That can translate to tighter numbers that reflect greater certainty in bidding and construction, as contractors are able to eliminate some of the padding often added into an estimate to cover potential unknowns. With more precise data, comes more precise pricing information and more efficient construction with fewer RFIs.
You can leave it to the AI-powered MEP design solution to run all the data and provide consistently excellent results. But that software isn’t going to stop and answer your questions as they arise. And AI software doesn’t care one way or another about how your design turns out aesthetically.
You have to count on the human engineer’s experience to input the data that will carry your MEP design to the best possible conclusion. The right input will lead to the best result, every time. When you’re partnered with an engineering firm that is as excited about developing a project as you are, who takes pride in their work as much as you do, then you’re more likely to feel confident in the designs coming out.
One way AI can help here: It can help instill trust in an excellent design. Once you feel comfortable about your MEP engineer’s results, and have confidence that any potential MEP problems will be identified early in the design process, then you gain valuable peace of mind.
This excitement is certainly an area where Schnackel Engineers excels. Our engineering team is passionate about making your vision come to life, while minimizing risks along the journey. If you’re ready to partner with an MEP design team that puts your priorities first, contact us today.
Comments